“Stop to appreciate this striking proposal for a university building, showcasing a vision of architectural modernism with its clean lines and transparent design. It’s a powerful example of how a drawing can convey both structure and aspiration.”
This large charcoal drawing presents a bold vision for the Illinois Institute of Technology's Library and Administration Building. The proposed structure, seen from an elevated perspective, emphasizes a clean, modular design. Notice the rhythmic repetition of vertical lines, suggesting a steel framework, a hallmark of mid-20th-century modernism. The building's transparent walls, rendered with delicate pencil strokes, hint at expansive glass, allowing light to flood the interior and blurring the distinction between inside and out. The drawing's stark precision, despite its preparatory nature, conveys both the functional clarity and the monumental ambition of the architectural plan. It's a powerful statement about the future of institutional design, where form follows function with elegant simplicity, reflecting the era's optimism for technological advancement and rational order.
- Artist
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
- Date
- 1944
- Medium
- Charcoal, graphite, and yellow pencil on tracing paper
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- 72 × 106.7 cm (28 × 42 in.)
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The subtle yellow pencil lines indicating structural grids.
The faint figures inside, suggesting human scale and activity.
The precise, almost etched quality of the charcoal lines.
The minimal landscaping, placing focus entirely on the building.
1 more detail is waiting.
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